What Is the Theme of "Love in L.A." by Dagoberto Gilb?

The theme of the short story "Love in L.A." by author Dagoberto Gilb focuses around self-love and narcissism. The main character is a womanizer who is in a minor traffic accident with a woman.

Gilb is a Mexican-American writer who writes primarily about life in the contemporary American West. He is known for producing short story collections and autobiographical essays.

The story, "Love in L.A." was released in the short story collection, "The Magic of Blood," first published in 1993 by the University of New Mexico Press. In the story, a self-involved liar named Jake gets into a minor traffic accident with Mariana. Thematically, this is a twist on the usual love story, instead showing how Jake is in love with himself and his things, such as his car.